I Can Be Your Family
by martinbeks
Summary: Gendry thinks about his journey with Arya and just how much she means to him.
1. Chapter 1

"_I can be your family._ "

"_You wouldn't be my family. You'd be My lady."_

Gendry couldn't sleep. Usually, when he drank his weight in ale he'd fall asleep before he even got to his bed, but not this time. How could he be so stupid? Everything in him had urged him not to ask Arya to marry him just then, but it was too exciting to keep to himself. He wanted to share his fortune with only her.

She'd been his best friend when they were younger; the one he could depend on no matter what happened or who was after them. She'd tried so hard to keep him from being taken away by the Red Woman, but they were separated, and all he could think of when he was with the Red Woman, and with the three nameless, faceless girls after her, was of Arya. At first, it startled him that he could ever fall in love with her. She was nothing like the beautiful girls in the cities. She was absolutely nothing like her beautiful older sister, Sansa. It didn't matter, though. Arya Stark had a hold on his heart that wasn't going away anytime soon.

Seeing her in Winterfell again, he'd had to hide his true feelings. She was different. Harder, colder, more beautiful. But still Arya. She could give as well as she could take. When she ordered him to make her a weapon, he was almost disappointed. The first conversation they'd had in years and she wanted something from him. But he saw the way she looked at him after he pounded a dragon glass axe into the table. The same look she gave him when she used to watch him pound steel into swords.

The night of the Battle for Winterfell he hadn't expected her to come find him. He'd planned on resting and trying to not think of what was to come. He planned on dying. He'd fought the dead before, and they were relentless. He wasn't looking forward to doing it again, but if it was a choice between protecting the living or dying with everyone, he'd protect the living. He'd protect Arya.

When Arya told him she wanted him, he felt all of the tension in his body melt away. This had to mean something. She could've gone to anyone to find out what it was like, but she chose him.

Despite her leather armor and cold demeanor, she was soft and warm. She was open and accepting and gave to him as much as he gave to her. When she tightened against him and cried out, he pressed his lips to her forehead, holding her close, unable to let her go.

As they both came down from their mutual high, Gendry gazed into her nearly black eyes, which were softer than he'd ever seen them before.

This was absolutely it. No one else in the world would do for him. If he weren't a bastard he would have proposed marriage right then. If they would live through the battle.

Queen Danaerys then answered all of his prayers.

He was legitimized and given Storms End. He was a Baratheon. He and Arya could unite the Stark and Baratheon Houses for good. More than that, though, he was now able to go to her and offer himself and everything he had. He'd loved her for years. He didn't dare hope to ever see her again after the Red Woman took him away, but they'd been brought back together. He wanted a partner to teach him how to be a lord and also fight by his side. It would always be her.

Before he could run off to find her, however, he was handed an ale in celebration, followed by another and another. Before he could stop, he'd had more than he could count, and he was floating. The party started to break up, and he knew he needed to find her before he lost his nerve. She'd be so happy. The way she'd said she could be his family had comforted him through their years apart. She had to know how he felt and had always felt about her.

As he made his way through the halls and passages of Winterfell looking for her, an arrow flew by his head, just narrowly missing him.

Arya.

He tried to keep his excitement to a level that wouldn't frighten her, but the ale started to do the talking for him. He told her everything and kissed her. He offered her everything he had so earnestly that she had to say yes.

Except she didn't.

Letting him down with a heartfelt kiss that was soft and yielding, she gazed at him, sadly.

"You'll make a fine Lord." She said steadily. "And any lady would be lucky to have you."

Gendry felt his face grow pale and his heart stop.

"I'm not a lady. That's not me."

She didn't make excuses. She was very matter-of-fact, though sad. It was a simple answer and he'd have to accept it.

Her answer had sobered him up. He was no longer excited about his future as the Lord of Storms End. Without Arya by his side, it didn't matter. He could remain a blacksmith and disappear into the fabric of history.

He knew Arya wouldn't tell anyone, not even her family. But just the change in Gendry's demeanor was enough for everyone to figure it out.

When Sam told him that he and Gilly were expecting a child, he had a hard time choking out congratulations. When he watched the Dragon Queen fly off on her dragon to claim her lands by sea, he couldn't feel excited or anxious for battle. Lady Sansa barely acknowledged him, as was her custom, but there was a flickering of knowing. Maybe Arya had told her sister, but no one else. Maybe she hadn't. The Starks hid their emotions and hid them well. They couldn't afford not to.

If he could do it all again, he'd wait until after Danaerys was on the Iron Throne, he was settled at Storms End, and he would tell Arya more of what she'd meant to him since they were children. He'd tell her that her friends kept him going through the difficult times when the Red Woman wanted to kill him when Davos sent him rowing on the never-ending journey far away. He would tell her that there were moments he dreamed she was in danger. That she couldn't see and struggled, that she died. Each dream caused him to wake up in a cold sweat and pray to any gods that would listen that she'd be safe. That she would find her way home. That she would come into his smithy and he could see her again.

She was more his family than anyone else in Westeros. More than his brothers-in-arms that he fought beside, and more than the ancestors before him. She was the family he chose. Her words kept him going when things got difficult. She was the reason he hadn't been able to bring himself to sleep with more than three women. She was the one he wanted to fight by his side, build a life with, and protect the realm. Any lady might be lucky to have him, but he'd only be lucky to have her by his side.

He watched her follow Jon on horseback toward Kings Landing, and he'd be following shortly after. He'd protect her as much as he could in this battle. He would help her fulfill her destiny. If she could kill the Night King, she could slaughter Cersei Lannister. She was the greatest warrior in all of Westeros, and even if she didn't want to marry him, he would have her back. It's what families did.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm not a lady. I never have been. That's not me._

Arya had never dreamed of being a fair maiden like Sansa had. She'd rather be a knight and fight for what's right like her brothers were trained to do. She was born a girl, and she grew up for eleven years with the same training as Sansa, but lacking the skill and desire to embroider flowers. Jon and their father, Ned, humored her with her own sword and dancing lessons, but she saw her future as bleak.

She wished to bring her parents back from the dead, but their deaths spurred her into action to retaliate against those who would hurt those she loved most. She lived with a single desire, and that was to kill everyone on her list.

The only one that even attempted to break her steely exterior was Gendry. He didn't even do it on purpose. He stood by her from the start, initially treating her like a little brother, but the kind of brother who could see right through her facade. When she told him she was Arya Stark, daughter of Ned Stark, at first she thought he seriously was sorry if he'd offended her. Then she punched him, and he began to tease her. She'd stormed off, but part of her couldn't shake the feeling that things between them were starting to change.

Arya began to admire not only his mind but his body. His eyes were so beautiful that Arya thought she could get lost in them. She wouldn't dare tell him that she liked him, though. Romance was only for girls like Sansa. Arya had more important things to do. The best Arya could do was offer to be a member of Gendry's family. He looked at her so tenderly as he replied, "You wouldn't be my family. You'd be My Lady."

For once in her life, Arya didn't know what to say. She was the ugly little sister who should've been a little brother. Did Gendry think of her in a romantic way? Like the princes in Sansa's songs?

Being rid of Gendry actually helped Arya succeed in her many missions. She ticked off several people from her list, whether by her own hand or someone else's. She mastered the art of fighting and bowed down to the Many-Faced God. A Girl had no name until it was prudent to take her name and identity back. Arya Stark of Winterfell was a killer, and she was going home.

Getting closer to Winterfell made her wish for her family. Jon, Robb, Bran, Rickon. Even Sansa. There was someone else in that lineup that she wanted to include. But include in a different way. She wanted her family back, of course, but she still considered Gendry her family. Not a brother, though. She ached for him in ways she had to hide from the world. Gendry was her weakness.

Arya didn't want Jon to be King. He would've been a good king, but like she wasn't a lady, Jon wasn't meant to be the King of Westeros. King in the North, King Beyond the Wall, but the people of Westeros weren't the kind who would look to him as a leader. After they all decided he would "Take the Black," Arya and Sansa discussed it further. He didn't deserve to not find happiness one day. He'd given so much of himself and saved Westeros from a Mad Queen. He might not ever find love again like he'd found with the girl, Ygritte, but if he went north to join the Free Folk, he'd have the opportunity. They'd never see him again.

She didn't think she'd ever see Bran or Sansa again, either. She was headed west. She was going to find her new family like Nymeria had. She missed her Dire Wolf, a comforting touchstone when things started changing in her life. But they hadn't gotten to spend their lives together like Jon and Ghost had. Ghost was waiting for Jon at the Wall with that odd Giantsbane man.

Having spent most of her life alone, Arya was ready to continue her journey. But something kept itching her at the back of her neck. Nothing was there, but something was telling her to turn back. She'd told herself numerous times that there was nothing left for her in Westeros.

_That's not true._

The salty air on her face was refreshing, and her journey was going to be the journey of a lifetime. She'd left her family in good hands. Jon north of the Wall, Sansa Queen in the North, and Bran the Broken, ruling the six kingdoms. Gendry would get any assistance he needed at Storm's End with Sansa and Bran. They'd both promised to help him. As did Brienne and Sam. He wouldn't be alone. He'd have his family, finally. He'd marry and build his own family filled with dark haired, starry-eyed children.

_It wouldn't be worth anything if you weren't with me. _

Arya rubbed at the itch in the back of her neck. It was still there, and not going anywhere. It would go away eventually. She could stop thinking about him if she wasn't around him. Maybe he'd been the wrong person to sleep with. She didn't think she still had feelings for him. They'd both changed so much in the years they were apart, both growing in skill and drive. But when she kissed him, she hadn't expected her breath to whoosh out of her and her mind to go fuzzy. All she wanted was to know what sex was like, but with Gendry it was different than she'd expected.

He'd only ever slept with three women. He was an attractive man who could take care of himself at the smithy. He could make decent money. Why wasn't he going to brothels more? That part of him certainly wasn't inherited from his fat, philandering father.

She wasn't a ticklish person, but what little shadow he had on his face had tickled her neck in a delicious way. She continued to rub the spot that he'd focused on as she tried to erase the memory, but it wasn't working.

Before she'd left, she and Sansa had talked. She'd asked Sansa to help Gendry. Sansa didn't try to convince her sister to stay where she wouldn't be happy, but she did say something that resonated with her.

_Mother always told me that she and father didn't love each other when they first got married. Love grew out of respect. I never had respect for Ramsey. I could never love him, especially after what he did to all of us. I respected Tyrion because he respected me. I might have been able to grow to love him had I not escaped King's Landing. You respect Gendry more than you will ever let on. It isn't a bad thing to share your life. You were never completely alone. You always had friends. Some friends are just better than others. Some friends become your family. Don't be a lone wolf all your life."_

It was too late now. She was headed west. He was at Storm's End. It was how things needed to be.

As the sun went down, Arya turned away from the water to return to her bunk. It had been a stressful several days. She'd like to get some sleep where she didn't need to worry about anything except actual sleep. Had she gotten a good night's sleep since she was a child? Probably not.

_Go Home, Girl_.

Sandor had told her that. Told her not to live a life filled with revenge. She didn't have a home anymore. The world would be her home. As she walked down the stairs, she bumped into someone, but said nothing.

"Begging your pardon, Milady."

Arya paused. She couldn't turn around. He wouldn't have followed her, would he? She felt pressure building up in her chest, and she wasn't sure she could bear it if it wasn't him. But dressed in her leathers, she wasn't exactly feminine. Who else would think of her as a girl, let alone a lady?

She turned only slightly, willing herself to just let it go, but she couldn't. The itch on the back of her neck was urging her to turn.

"I didn't think you liked boats." Arya still didn't look.

"This is less a boat and more of a ship. Less work for me to do."

"Are you sure about that?"

"How much work are you going to have me to, milady?" There was a smile in his voice, and Arya knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was him.

"Don't you have a kingdom to run?" Arya finally turned, head cocked coyly to the side, hands clasped behind her back. She looked him up and down.

He wore black leathers studded with silver, and a silver crown of antlers. He didn't look like a boy who was playing make believe. It suited him.

"Funny thing about kingdoms. You can find someone you trust to run things in your absence."

"Why would you be absent?"

"We don't know what else is out there. What kind of people, different kinds of places. I never dreamed of going anywhere or doing anything until I met you."

He didn't move from his spot on the stairs. He gazed down at her so tenderly that Arya's chest tightened again. '"Figured now would be as good a time as any to see what the world had to offer. Maybe learn a thing or two to take home with me." He paused. "Or keep going."

Arya knew what he was doing. "You're giving up Storm's End."

"I'm finally joining my family." He corrected. "The people of Storm's End are kind. They welcomed me, but it wasn't where I needed to be." He took a seat on the stairs, where he was finally eye to eye with her. "I'm not going to ask you to marry me again. But I'm also not going to take back that I love you. I really do and always have."

Arya shook her head. "I told Sansa to help you become the Lord you were meant to be. You can't just give it all up."

"Sansa taught me some things, yes. I can now use a fork without embarrassing myself at court. But she also encouraged me not to give up hope." He cleared his throat when Arya's face was clouded in fear. "You once told me you could be my family, and I'm asking if you still mean it. If you don't, I'll just head back to Storm's End, and none of this ever happened. I'll wish you well on your journey, and try not to drown myself in utter shame."

The corners of Arya's mouth perked up slightly, but she couldn't hide it. Not from him. Not from this handsome man she'd seen grow up. This man who helped her when no one else believed in her. If things had been different, in another world, they might have known each other all their lives. But they could continue their lives side by side. Exploring the great unknown.

The itching and prickling on her neck started to dissipate, and suddenly it was all Arya could do to keep her hands from him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, so soft almost a brush. He didn't immediately kiss her back, but waited for an actual answer. She'd almost fooled him once before. That wouldn't happen again.

"I'm not going to be your lady."

"Not in public." He grinned, as he looked at her mouth, willing her to kiss him again.

She couldn't keep herself from him, granting his request.


End file.
